I just received (October 2014) an alert from Healthy Building News about additives in many building products that are supposed to kill microbes and make the house healthier. These things are called “Antimicrobials”. A couple of the best known trade names are Microban and BioFresh.
Little disi...
Jim from London, Ontario is wondering what temperature he should leave his thermostat while he migrates south for the winter. The short answer is 55 degrees F, or about 12 degrees C.
That should keep the pipes from freezing, keep the humidity under control, keep the furniture from going through ...
Eleminating ordinary paint odours
Are you tired of the smell of paints and finishes? There are now several products on the market that you add to your paint and when it starts to dry on the wall, this chemically reacts with those molecules that cause the odour and stop those odours.
It works wi...
The shape of the tip of the bristles is critical for a good job.
Cheap brushes are cut off square as in the second photo, which makes them easier to manufacturer.
But they don't do nearly as good a job of carrying paint or laying it down as a brush with a tapered end and spl...
Round brushes, with tapered and split end bristles, are the standard trim brushes in Europe. You actually rotate the brush as you move to keep a wet brush on the work. They are beginning to show up in Canadain paint stores.
Stir sticks are more effective if you cut holes in the stick.
Always scrape down to the bottom of the bucket.
Power stirrers, like the one shown in the photo, should push the paint down to avoid it splashing up.
Some common kitchen tools can be modified into manual or power paint stirrers.
Mi...